The Last Prophecy
by Britt4
Summary: Rambaldi's last prophecy may explain the past two years of Sydney's life. Chapter 8 is up
1. Chapter 1

Author: Britt Title: The Last Prophecy, Chapter 1 Category: Drama, Action, Romance Ships: Sydney/Vaughn, of course! Summary: Rambaldi's last prophecy might explain the last two years of Syd's life. Disclaimer: I don't own them, blah blah blah. You've heard it before. Distribution: I'd be honoured, just let me know where it's going, first. Authors Note: I wish I could've gotten this up sooner, but life has been crazy! Authors Note 2: Big thanks to my beta, Kerry. You rock, girl! Timeline: As most fics are these days, set after 'The Telling' Rating: This chapter's just G Feedback: Pretty please?  
  
Sydney's vision went blurry and she could have sworn her heart stopped as she tried to process the information. She had been missing for nearly two years. She had lost nearly two years of her life. It was too unbelievable for her to comprehend. Two years.  
  
"No," she whispered in disbelief.  
  
"I have to take you back to the CIA," Vaughn said monotonously. "They want you in their custody."  
  
"Custody," Sydney repeated. "Vaughn, what's going on?"  
  
Vaughn stood up and turned toward the door. "I'll explain later. Right now, we have to get back to the CIA," he said, opening the door.  
  
"Vaughn, wait," Sydney said, tears stinging her eyes. "Just...just give me a minute. To think."  
  
"Agent Bristow, you'll have to time to think on the plane. Now if you don't stand up right now and walk with me, I'm going to have to use force," Vaughn threatened her. He shot her a disgusted look.  
  
Sydney was stunned. Could this really be Vaughn? This wasn't the same man she knew. The Vaughn she knew would never threaten her. But this man seemed cold, almost hollow inside.  
  
With no other choice that she could see, Sydney blinked back her tears and stood up. He walked out the door without looking back. She followed him from a distance, afraid of him. How ironic, she thought, that this was the first time that she could remember being afraid in two years, and Vaughn was the source of that fear.  
  
They walked out of the safehouse and down a few crowded streets. The lights were bright and the people were bustling along the busy sidewalks. The farther they walked, the thinner the crowd became, until they were almost alone on the street. Vaughn stopped at an empty corner and waited for Sydney to catch up.  
  
"Sydney," he said quietly, staring at the ground, "I need you to listen to me. More importantly, I need you to trust me. The CIA was watching us at the safehouse. They might still be watching us. I can't explain everything now, but as soon as we get out of here, I swear I will. Just trust me."  
  
"Vaughn, what are you talking about?" she asked, bewildered.  
  
"You see those two men, down at the end of the street?" he asked. She nodded. "They're CIA agents. They're here to take us - here to take you, actually, back to Los Angeles. They have a jet waiting for you at a secure location. Sydney, on the count of three, we're going to run down that alley to the right of us. Got it?"  
  
Sydney thought for a minute. The only thing that came to her mind was, What the hell? None of this was making sense. She didn't know why Vaughn was acting this way or what he was talking about. The only thing she did know was that at the point in her life of her last memory, he was the person she trusted most in the world.  
  
"One," he mumbled, eyeing the agents. "Two...three!"  
  
He darted to the right, running at full speed. Going purely by instinct, Sydney followed closely behind him. She heard the agents shouting behind them, but she didn't look back to see if they were following.  
  
They must have run for miles, she decided later. When they were both out of breath and sweating profusely, Vaughn finally came to a stop behind a small Chinese restaurant. A limousine waited patiently outside. He opened the door for Sydney. She hesitantly stepped inside. She glanced around inside and gasped.  
  
Ooh, cliffhanger! Please review - the more reviews, the faster I put up Chapter 2. Hehehe! 


	2. Chapter 2

"Sydney," her mother welcomed her, smiling warmly.  
  
She suddenly was having trouble taking a breath in properly. As the car door shut, she felt like the air had been sucked out of the vehicle. As though trapped in the car without air, she felt dizzy and light-headed. Sydney closed her eyes and told herself to just breathe.  
  
"Syd, I told you I would explain everything," Vaughn started as the car began to move. "I wasn't lying."  
  
Sydney barely heard him. Her eyes were still fixed on her mother. She momentarily wondered if this entire thing was a dream, but she knew it was all real. She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat and turned her attention to Vaughn.  
  
"I guess this all goes back to Rambaldi's prophecy," he said. "As you know, you and your mother were the only ones who knew that the prophecy was about you, not her. But, as it turned out, there was another part to the prophecy. Sloane discovered that the man the woman loved would play a powerful role in the apocalypse. Thinking that your mother was in the prophecy, he assumed it would be Jack. He approached your father about a business partnership, which, of course, your father turned down.  
  
"But your mother knew that sooner or later, Sloane would figure out that it was you in the prophecy. She was so afraid for you. She had been keeping tabs on the double, so she was aware of the fight you had with her. After you blacked out, she took you from LA and brought you to a secluded island. She thought you would be safe there. It wasn't more than two weeks before she contacted me and told me what she had done.  
  
"I didn't quite know what to do when she informed of the situation. I didn't trust her, but just the notion that I could see you and know you were safe, Syd..." he trailed off. "She told me I couldn't involve the CIA. There was no choice but for me to leave the CIA and join her. I could either stay there and be part of their excuse for a search, or I could actually see you."  
  
"Vaughn," Sydney breathed, shaking her head in wonder. She tried to process everything he had told her so far, but only thing came to mind. Vaughn worked with her mother, the woman who had betrayed this country and killed his father - for her sake.  
  
"That night I arrived - I remember it well. I couldn't believe that you were still there, right in front of me. When I was in Los Angeles, I never gave up hope that you were alive, but I couldn't help but assume the worst. Until that night your mother contacted me, I was so afraid you were dead.  
  
"She explained to me about the prophecy. She didn't know what my role in the apocalypse would be, she just knew I would have one. It said in the prophecy that the apocalypse would be in nearly two years, and that the woman would wake up only shortly before then."  
  
"Wait - none of that was in the prophecy the CIA had," Sydney said, confused.  
  
"Sloane met with a monk shortly before the night of your fight with the double. The monk showed him Rambaldi's last prophecy, which was about the upcoming apocalypse. He informed your mother of what the new prophecy held, believing she was still loyal to him," Vaughn explained. Sydney nodded.  
  
"Your mother and I thought we would just have to wait it out, stay on the island until you woke up. But only about a month later, I got a call from Weiss - he, Will, and your father were the only ones I had stayed in touch with from the CIA after I left. None of them knew the truth about where I was, what I was doing. Anyway, he had discovered that the CIA had a mole, someone working with Sloane trying to infiltrate them. Unfortunately, they were never able to fully expose them. He wanted me to come back to help."  
  
Sydney opened her mouth to ask who, but Vaughn answered her unasked question.  
  
"Kendall."  
  
Okay, so there's Chapter 2! Sorry it took so long to put up, but life's been insane. Does anyone know the meaning of the words "So, SO much"? Well, basically it's how sorry I am. Anyways, Chapter 3 will be up soon! Oh, and thnx for the reviews, everyone! Keep 'em coming - they're so addictive! ;-) 


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! Okay, first of all, sorry for taking so long to get this one up. But this has been an insanely busy (and fairly horrible) week. Anyways, here's the new chapter, so yay. Also, just wanted to give some thanks to people - everyone who gave me feedback (especially EgyptianKat), my beta Kerry, and Birdy for the original idea for the fic.  
  
Sydney almost choked on her own breath. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat, letting it sink in. Of everything she had learned in the last twenty minutes, this was the most unbelievable.  
  
"Sydney," Vaughn said as she felt a hand on top of her own. "I know you're probably in shock right now-"  
  
"Oh, I'm way past shock," Sydney said through gritted teeth. "I'm already into the anger stage. How dare he! The son of a bitch! The way he did business...the way he treated everyone else...and all of it meant nothing. Nothing! The CIA meant nothing to him."  
  
"I know," Vaughn replied quietly.  
  
She sighed and paused before speaking again, still furious over Kendall's betrayal. "What happened when you found out he was working against the CIA?" she asked, trying to keep the rage out of her voice.  
  
"Apparently, Sloane found out where you and your mother were, and that your mother had taken you. From that, he figured out that it would be you and I in the prophecy. No one knew I was with you, though, not even Sloane. He passed the information about you and your mother onto Kendall, who informed the CIA that you were alive. Kendall told the CIA you were with your mother, and he convinced them that you were working with her to betray the them.  
  
"Suddenly, you were topping the CIA's most wanted list. Sloane was no longer a priority - not that he ever really was, I suppose, with Kendall there. He didn't care if your mother was caught; she was just an added bonus. What he really wanted was you and I for Sloane so we could fulfill the prophecy. Sloane had told him that it was us in the prophecy as soon as he had found out. The CIA believed I was still in the country, and would be easy to contact when the prophecy came to pass. So with the CIA now hunting you and your mother, the three of us had to keep moving around.  
  
"We've been in Hong Kong for about a month now. We knew you would wake up soon, and we needed the CIA to know it. We knew that if it was you who contacted them, they wouldn't kill you right away. They would have to force a confession out of you about working with your mother so that Kendall could make sure that his knowledge would never be discovered. The rest of the CIA had to believe that what he had told them was true. Sydney, I know you must think we deserted you on the street. I suppose we did, but we kept a close watch on you to make sure you were safe. When you woke up and called Kendall, he contacted me, still believing I knew nothing about you and your mother. He told me you that you had betrayed the CIA for the first year after you disappeared, but when you didn't surface for a few months, they assumed you to be dead. They didn't mention your mother. Sydney, I swear, I would never threaten you like I did back there. I didn't want it to go that far, but I knew Kendall would be watching us. I had to gain his trust so I could walk you out of there myself," he finished as the car slowed to a stop.  
  
"Oh," was all she could manage to say.  
  
Her mind was buzzing. She was still confused, but everything was making much more sense that it had been when she woken up on the street. She was relieved to know that Vaughn didn't hate her, as she had first feared at the safehouse.  
  
She looked up at him, right into his eyes. His expression was difficult to read - he looked happy, but pained. She knew he must have been through hell the past two years. Estranged from family and friends, forced to work with the woman he hated most, and betrayed by his superior.  
  
Sydney realized that his hand was still on hers as he squeezed hers reassuringly. Her mind snapped back to what she had seen at the safehouse, and she realized there was still one thing that he hadn't explained.  
  
"Vaughn, why are you wearing that ring?" she echoed her words from the safehouse.  
  
"Oh God, Syd - I completely forgot about it," he said, flustered, as he look down at his left hand. He slipped the gold band off his ring finger. "I had told the CIA that I had left Los Angeles and settled down with someone out west. I had to wear it to maintain my cover."  
  
"So you're not married," Sydney said, her heart rising a little. Right now, with everything she had just learned, it appeared to be the only true bright spot on the horizon.  
  
"I'm not married," Vaughn assured her.  
  
Sydney smiled a little, and he grinned back at her. She knew that had she not been so stressed and exhausted at the moment, she could have fully appreciated his dimples and the three wrinkles in his forehead.  
  
Sydney turned away from him and truly looked at her mother for the first time in nearly two years. Irina had remained silent during Vaughn's explanation, which wasn't uncharacteristic of her.  
  
No words were exchanged between the mother and daughter. None needed to be. Sydney smiled a bit as she unconsciously tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She could feel tears filling her eyes, but she was too tired to decide if they were tears of joy or sadness or both.  
  
Suddenly, her face fell as she realized that an important aspect of her life hadn't been explained.  
  
"Where's my dad?"  
  
Vaughn stayed silent and chose to look down at the black carpeted floor of the vehicle, instead. Sydney wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but she took it as a sign that the news wasn't good. 


	4. Chapter 4

"Sydney," her mother said gently. Sydney turned her attention to her mother with her eyes wide for fear of the worst and her heart pounding deafeningly in her head. "Your father stayed with the CIA for a short while after your disappearance, but - it was difficult for him. With both of our whereabouts unknown, he could only asume..." she trailed off. "When he and Weiss discovered that Kendall was a traitor, it was too much for him to take. He committed suicide."  
  
Sydney felt as though she were about to throw up. If the tears hadn't been blinding her, everything around her would have been spinning. She didn't care if she had just lots two years of her life. She didn't care if Kendall was working with Sloane. She didn't care. Only one thing mattered anymore. Her father was dead. Everything went blurry after that.  
  
The next thing she remembered was waking up in a in bed with red silk sheets and sunlight pouring into the room through an oversized bay window. Sitting up and kicking her legs over the side of the bed, she failed to notice the rich mahogany paneling and the detailed murals stretching over one wall. Her eyes were as unfocused as her mind right now.  
  
She followed a grand hallway for a few minutes, not caring where she was headed. She found herself wishing for the simple normality of being groggy when awoken, that her mind would be inactive and not register all the facts from yesterday. Those facts, unfortunately, were the only things she could think about. One in particular.  
  
Sydney wasn't sure how long she kept walking for, but eventually she made her way into a kitchen. Vaughn and her mother were drinking coffee at a table and talking in hushed voices. They looked up when they noticed her enter the room.  
  
"Syd, how are you?" Vaughn asked her in a concerned tone as he stood up. She stayed silent and allowed him to lead her to the table as he sat down next to her. He poured her a cup of coffee and looked at her worriedly.  
  
She slowly sipped at her coffee, staring intently at the dark brown liquid. Her mother left the room, but Sydney barely noticed, entranced by the steaming drink. Sydney finally looked up when she felt a warm hand on hers.  
  
"Everything's going to be okay, I promise," Vaughn said to her, searching her eyes.  
  
Sydney shook her head. "No, it's not. Vaughn, please don't lie to me. I've just lost two years of my life. The only things I have left right now are you and my mother. Don't lie to me. Don't give me a reason to lose you, too."  
  
For the first time since she had woken up in the streets of Hong Kong, Sydney began to cry. She felt the tears well up in her eyes until they finally overflowed. The tears spilled down her face and into her coffee, creating tiny ripples. She pushed it away and buried her face in her hands, sobbing. Vaughn put his arm around her, and she started crying into his shoulder. She felt him kiss her on the top of the head, and she looked up at him, her face damp from the tears.  
  
She tilted her head slightly and leaned in to kiss him softly. She still knew every detail of his lips, the way his hair felt as she ran her hands through it-  
  
He pulled back suddenly and looked at her apologetically. "Sydney, I can't do this. You're weak right now, vulnerable. This isn't right," he said.  
  
Sydney turned her head in shame. "I know...I mean, I don't know what came over me...I wish..."  
  
Vaughn held her close for a second and put his lips to her forehead. "I know."  
  
Sydney sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. He stroked her hair as she stared off to nowhere in particular, just thinking. She wasn't quite sure how long they stayed like that, but it didn't matter. She felt so safe, so protected in his arms.  
  
"Look at me," he said quietly. She stood up a bit straighter and turned around to face him. He slowly raised a hand to her cheek and looked at her, smiling slightly.  
  
"You're so beautiful." A hint of a smile played on her lips, and he took a long pause before speaking again. "There's something I should have told you," he said slowly.  
  
Sydney's face fell. Her mind began racing with thoughts. Her first was that whatever he had to say, it would be bad - really bad. Her second was that if the news was bad, whatever it was, she wouldn't be able to handle hearing it. She couldn't take anymore right now.  
  
She pushed her chair back a little. Its legs scraped against the hard metal floor. Vaughn looked at her in confusion, a question forming on his lips.  
  
"I - I just can't right now," she mumbled, standing up quickly. She turned around to walk out of the room, but Vaughn grabbed her arm and she spun around.  
  
With his hand still placed on her arm, they both looked at each other intently for a moment with varying expressions upon their faces. Finally, Vaughn broke the tense silence.  
  
"I love you," he confessed.  
  
Sydney bit her lip and blinked back tears. Here, in front of her stood this man, this wonderful man, who loved her unconditionally. She could be unconscious for nearly two years, yet he still loved her. Sydney took a moment to process this revelation and truly appreciate how lucky she was. She gave a laugh that became caught in her tears when she realized this was far from the bad news she was expecting.  
  
"I love you," she said, closing her eyes and letting herself be wrapped in his arms.  
  
"Once all of this is over, nothing can stop us from being together," he whispered to her. She nodded. He held her close as though afraid that if he let go, he couldn't protect her. Sydney had never felt more loved before in her life.  
  
She heard heels clicking from down the hall. She and Vaughn broke apart to see her mother walk into the room. She face was severe, her lips thin.  
  
"We have to go. Now."  
  
***  
  
Okay, so please don't be really pissed at me for killing off Jack. I actually think he's awesome, and I hated to do it, but otherwise everything would have been too messy. Big thanks to Kerry, Birdy, and Haley, as well as everyone who sent me feedback. Love you guys, keep sending it! Chapter 5 is on the way! 


	5. Chapter 5

"What is it?" Sydney asked concernedly. "Kendall?"  
  
Her mother nodded. "I've already packed things for both of you. Now we need to go," she said urgently. Sydney and Vaughn exchanged looks, then glanced back at Irina and nodded.  
  
They followed her through the house and down into a basement of sorts. Dimly lit, Sydney squinted her eyes to see better. Irina led them to a car and they climbed into the back seats as she got comfortable in the driver's seat.  
  
"Where are we going?" Sydney couldn't help but ask.  
  
"Anywhere we have to," Irina replied, adjusting the review mirror as she drove.  
  
The ride was silent for a long time after that. Once they escaped the city, the heat poured down on them. At one point, Vaughn reached over and gave Syd's hand a reassuring squeeze. She didn't let go.  
  
Day slowly turned into night and Sydney's eyelids grew heavy. When she awoke, she lay in a queen-sized bed in a small bedroom. She could see the sun just rising through the window, although the room was still relatively dark. As she sat up she noticed a light on in the connecting bathroom, although the door was closed.  
  
She crawled out of bed and realized she was still in her clothes from two days prior. Wrinkling her nose, she vowed to find a suitcase to change. Of course, she thought, shaking her head, there are slightly more important matters at the moment than your clean clothes (or lack thereof). Like where we are, and how the hell we're going to hide from the entire CIA.  
  
For once on the receiving end of a lucky break, Sydney's suitcase had been placed on the floor at the end of her bed. She opened it and found clothes that appeared to be her size. She cast a cautious glance towards the bathroom door and quickly changed, putting her dirty laundry back in the suitcase. She was quietly placing her old clothes in the suitcase when she heard the click of the door opening.  
  
"Syd," Vaughn said, smiling slightly at her. She couldn't help but smile back, although her grin was a weak one.  
  
"Hey," she replied quietly, still rather exhausted both physically and emotionally from the past couple days. "Do you know where we are?"  
  
"The Paracel Islands," he informed her. "Hopefully we can stay a while, it's gorgeous outside. We're staying at least until we hear from your mother."  
  
"From my mother? Where is she?"  
  
"She didn't say, but I'd assume she's near half-way around the globe. She's trying to elude the police to keep you safe, and so they won't distract you when the prophecy comes to pass," he said. Sydney's eyes grew slightly larger for fear of her mother's safety. "Sydney, I wouldn't worry about her. She's smart. She knows how to stay out of trouble. Nothing will happen to her, I promise."  
  
Sydney nodded half-heartedly. He was right, of course - her mother was extremely intelligent. It was highly unlikely that she would be caught, even with the entire CIA hunting for her.  
  
"Take a shower," he suggested. "Then we can go down to the beach and relax, alright?"  
  
She mumbled an agreeance, but silently wondered how she was supposed to relax at a time like this. Her mind hadn't quit since she had woken up in Hong Kong. Kendall betraying the CIA, a prophecy to fulfill, her mother's whereabouts unknown again, and her father -  
  
"Syd? Is everything alright?" Sydney heard Vaughn's worried voice. She snapped her eyes open - she had been unaware they had been closed - to see his green eyes shining into hers.  
  
"Did my mother happen to mention what we have to do fulfill the prophecy?" Sydney asked him hesitantly.  
  
"She didn't mention anything about it," he replied, shaking his head. There was a long pause between them. "See you down there in half an hour?"  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
With the sun shining down on her and filling her body with warmth, the sound of the ocean waves splashing gently up on shore, and a margarita in hand, Sydney wondered if she had ever had such a peaceful, tranquil moment in her life. The scene was like something out of a movie.  
  
No words have been spoken between her and Vaughn in over and hour, but they hadn't need to be. The silence was comfortable, relaxing. It was the first time since she had woken in Hong Kong that she had come close to feeling calm, even peaceful. She turned over in her chair onto her back and sighed happily.  
  
She lay content like that for a while until she heard a voice that chilled her to her core.  
  
"Hello, my dear."  
  
Okay, so that's Chapter 5! I just want to say that you guys are amazing! I was expecting like, 5 reviews. So from now on, I'm going to respond individually to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter at the bottom of my new chapters! (Hope that wasn't incoherent - I'm tired today) It'll make y'all feel special! Or - something. So, without further ado.  
  
Mockingbird: I promise not to kill Weiss!  
  
Vaughn's Guardian Angel: Thnx! Glad I give you something to look forward to!  
  
Vaughn-Centric: Haha, yeah! It sure is about time!  
  
WannabeSyd47: Yeah, sorry about Jack. The Irina thing will be explained in a few chapters.  
  
Carrie: Thnx so much!  
  
YanksLuver: I know! It's that damn ring, eh?  
  
PrincessDeleon: Again with the sorry about the Jack, LoL!  
  
Sydney: Thank God you don't hate me! Chapter 5 is on the way!  
  
Gina: Have fun with Wendle! Thnx for reviewing!  
  
Nebulous13: Hehehe, don't we all love S/V fluff?  
  
Jen: Wow, thnx! Huge compliment! And sorry about not taking your ideas, haha!!  
  
Sorry to anyone I missed, and keep on reviewing!! Love ya guys, and thank you al!! 


	6. Chapter 6

Sydney opened her eyes and drew in a sharp breath. Standing above her, shadowed by the sun, stood the man who had almost single-handedly ruined her life two years earlier. In front of her stood Arvin Sloane.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked him angrily.  
  
"It should be obvious to you by now, my dear," he replied in a mocking tone. "But what may come as a surprise to you is that you are not the only one named in Rambaldi's prophecy," he said, nodding over at Vaughn.  
  
Sydney looked over and saw Vaughn lying in the chair next to her, motionless. Her eyes roamed his chest to see that it was safely rising and falling, but it was still.  
  
"No," she said breathlessly, fearing the worst. "He's not - "  
  
"Dead?" Sloane finished for her. "No, no, not just yet. Unconscious - he probably felt no pain, which is quite a shame, if you think about it. Should be out for a few more hours, though, which gives us just enough time, my dear."  
  
"Enough time for what?"  
  
"For you to fulfill the prophecy, of course."  
  
Sydney stayed silent, unaware of how to respond.  
  
"I will never fulfill do anything for you, you son of a bitch," she finally answered. She hoped that he didn't hear how much her voice was shaking.  
  
Sloane said nothing, instead looking past her. She was about to do the same when she felt arms on either side of her, gripping her tightly. Sydney looked up and saw two large men, their faces shadowed by the sun behind them.  
  
She screamed until her voice was hoarse, sometimes yelling out Vaughn's name, but to no avail. She pounded on their chests, but it had no affect. Tears were streaming down her face as they dragged her across the burning sand. The last thing she remembered was spitting sand out of her mouth as a bullet hit her shoulder.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
When she awoke, Sydney's shoulder was throbbing intensely with pain. She winced as she sat up a bit straighter, the soreness coursing through her arm. Her eyes opened to find an eerily pure white room with nothing distinguishable beyond a door and a thick metal pipe running along one wall. As she tried to stand, she realized that she was handcuffed to the pipe and sighed in frustration.  
  
Her eyes searched around the room once more as she slumped down onto the floor, feeling defeated. Here she was, trapped by the man she despised most in the world, with no one to save her. Her father was dead, her mother was missing, and Vaughn, who loved her so much he would give up his life for her, was nowhere to be seen. The last time she had seen him, he had been unconscious. She blinked back tears as she thought of what could have happened to him by now. Sydney forced those thoughts to the back of her mind and swallowed the lump in her throat.  
  
"Sydney," she heard a voice as the door clicked open. She glanced up and saw Sloane, followed by several guards, enter the room.  
  
"Where's Vaughn?" she asked him immediately.  
  
"Mr. Vaughn is comfortable," he replied, his face emotionless and his eyes glassy. "Come, Sydney. It's time for you to fulfill the prophecy now."  
  
Sydney looked up at him, confused by his passive state. He left the room and the guards walked over to Sydney, she assumed, to unlock her handcuffs. Quickly, she ran through the series of punches and kicks she knew in her mind. As they neared her, she swung her right leg up and kicked the side of his face, bloodying his nose. As he stumbled backwards, the other guard came at her, but she placed a well-aimed kick into his groin. It sent him flying, and Sydney was given a sudden boost of energy. She struggled to pull herself away from the pipe, focusing all of her energy into escaping from it.  
  
After a minute or so of alternately pulling frantically on the handcuffs and glancing at the door for a sign of Sloane, she broke free. Hurriedly she ran out of the room and down a hallway of the same sterile white. The building was a maze of identical hallways, and she couldn't be sure she wasn't just running in circles. On the rare occasion that she passed a door or window, she paused to see if Vaughn was in the room, but there was no sign of him yet.  
  
Four rights and seven lefts later (she at least tried to keep track), Sydney was still lost in the building and without Vaughn. She stopped and peered into a small window with little hope left in her heart.  
  
"Vaughn!"  
  
Okay, sorry, so very sorry that these chapters have been rather short lately, but I promise they'll be getting longer. And sorry it took so long to get this one up, Chapter 7 will be up in a few short days. Also, bonus points to anyone who guessed that it was Sloane in the last chapter. Here's my thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 5:  
  
Sydney: Yay for guessing Sloane! But don't cry, girl! I don't want to make you do that!  
  
Megan: Buddy? Haha! I took your advice, btw, it's now up at SD-1.  
  
Jen: Indeedy? Indeedy?!  
  
Sallene: Sorry to say, it was Sloane indeed. Oh, come on, every fic has to have a villain!!  
  
Carrie: Thanks so much!! You're one of my favourite reviewers now for all of your kind words!! Thank you!!  
  
Mockingbird: Yes, but from my perspective, the cliffhangers are so much fun! JACK?! No, he's very much dead, trust me. (Or is he?)  
  
Vaughn-centric: No, you don't sound pushy. Ahaha, Vaughn with a helium voice? Too funny! Thanks for the compliments, and yeah, I really should write to JJ!  
  
WannabeSyd47: Yeah, I wanted to write a nice beach scene too, but plot devices got in my way. ;=) I made up the Paracel Islands, by the way. 


	7. Chapter 7

Sydney ran to the door and desperately jiggled the handle. It wouldn't budge, so she tried the window. Spinning around wildly to search for anything that she could use to break it, she was faced with nothing but white walls. Taking in a deep breath, Sydney used every ounce of energy she had to kick in the window. With a large crash, she watched the shards of glass fall to the floor, and she climbed inside.  
  
"Vaughn!" Sydney yelled out as she saw him. She was aware that the guards might hear her, but she didn't care. He lay strapped to a chair, unconscious. There were already burn marks and bruises all over his body. With a sick feeling in her stomach, she was reminded of when she rescued him in France.  
  
"Vaughn, Vaughn, you have to wake up," she said quietly. He moaned a bit, but his eyes remained closed. "Vaughn, please," she pleaded with him. She slapped him, harder than she meant to, but it didn't matter. His eyes remained shut, and Sydney sighed in frustration as she glanced around for anything to help her in her attempt to wake him. The room was empty except for her and Vaughn.  
  
Hesitantly, Sydney decided to use her last resort to wake him up. She bent her head down and her lips met his. Her hand found a place in his hair, and she closed her eyes, reveling in the moment. After a few seconds, he started to respond, and his lips opened up slightly. Sydney smiled in his mouth and pulled back.  
  
"Good morning," she whispered, unable to contain her smile, despite the grimness of the situation. He grinned back at her, and groaned in pain as he tried to sit up. He was strapped to the chair, and the marks on his body looked even angrier than they had when she had first seen them]. Quickly, Sydney undid the leather straps that bound him. Much more aware now of the risk of getting caught, she frequently shot glances toward the door.  
  
Sydney was pulling on the last strap when she heard footsteps coming close. In her anxiousness, she fumbled and had to start again. She noticed that Vaughn, who had been watching the door for her, went pale. She whirled around and gasped.  
  
"Agent Bristow, Agent Vaughn," Kendall said. He was standing in the doorframe, dressed in a black suit. The smirk on his lips lit up his face, making his features look more evil than Sydney had remembered.  
  
"Kendall," she replied as strongly as she could.  
  
The grin on his face faltered, but only for a moment. He reached into his jacket pocket and revealed a small pistol. She jumped, still unnerved by his presence, as he pulled the trigger. A bullet sailed past her, and she immediately turned her attention to her Vaughn.  
  
"Oh God, Vaughn," she said, her stomach turning. Blood was pouring from the wound, leaving crimson stains on his chest. Sydney's hand shook as she placed it on his neck, feeling for a pulse. She breathed a small sigh of relief. It was faint, but it was there. She kept her hand there for fear that the worst would happen, blinking back tears as she worked to keep Vaughn alive. Sydney refused to cry in front of Kendall. She had lost so much already because of Kendall, she refused to lose Vaughn to him, too.  
  
Then her worst fears were confirmed. "Vaughn!" she cried out, feeling around frantically for a pulse. She felt nothing at his neck, and her hands flew down to his wrist. It was still.  
  
It's not fair, she thought, not even caring that she was showing her weakness as the tears finally spilled down her face. She didn't even care anymore if Kendall saw her. Sydney sobbed almost uncontrollably and she laid her head down on Vaughn's chest. The last thing she had left, the only thing she had worth living for, was being taken away from her.  
  
She heard Kendall laugh.  
  
She felt sick to her stomach before the rush of anger almost blinded her. She took in a slow, deep breath to calm herself, stop herself from doing something stupid, but the anger couldn't be dulled. She wondered if she had ever felt so full of rage in her life.  
  
She began to turn around, but felt the cool metal of a pistol on the back of her neck. She felt disgusted with herself for knowing that it was a M19- 11. For being trained for nothing else, for having nothing left in her life but gun models and missions.  
  
Those were her last thoughts.  
  
Vaughn-centric: Don't run outta air, there, Holly. ;=) And yes, fanfiction.net it stupid.  
  
AnnaSun: Aw, thanks! Sorry it took so long to update!  
  
WannabeSyd47: How was vacation? I like her hair, too, but I think it's better long (IMHO). And don't worry, you're not impatient. I'm slow.  
  
Jennifer: Thanks! Keep reading and reviewing! :=)  
  
Sydney: Four rights and seven lefts later? I'm confused. And you're the second person to review this chapter to include that in the review. Which makes me more confused. Did I miss something? Ah, good old wishful thinking. If only. Maybe I'll write a fic about your thoughts just for you :=)  
  
Okay, so please don't kill me everyone! I am SO sorry for killing the Vaughnster, but don't worry, I love him too much to not bring him back (or do I?). Hehehe. If I get 10 reviews on the next chapter, he won't stay dead. Ah, bribery. :=D I love you guys, keep on reading and letting me know what you think! 


	8. Chapter 8

For a split second when she awoke, Sydney could have sworn that it had all been a dream. A ridiculously elaborate dream, but a dream all the same. She snapped back to her senses when she felt flames licking at her feet.  
  
Sydney opened her eyes and instinctively drew her feet up to her chest. The flames danced around her, reaching high above her head. Variations of oranges, yellows, and blues would have made for a spectacular show had she not been in the midst of it all.  
  
The only thought that ran through her mind was where the door was. Her eyes darted around, searching for an exit, and they landed on a body. Vaughn's body, still laying strapped to the chair. Her heart began to pound faster than it already was (she hadn't thought it possible) as she feared for his safety.  
  
She began to crawl towards him, but stopped after just a moment when the memory of what had taken place in this room came rushing back to her.  
  
He reached into his jacket pocket and revealed a small pistol. She jumped, still unnerved by his presence, as he pulled the trigger. A bullet sailed past her and she immediately turned her attention to her Vaughn.  
  
"Oh God, Vaughn," she said, her stomach turning. Blood was pouring from the wound, leaving crimson stains on his chest. Sydney's hand shook as she placed it on his neck, feeling for a pulse. She breathed a small sigh of relief. It was faint, but it was there. She kept her hand there for fear that the worst would happen, blinking back tears as she worked to keep Vaughn alive.  
  
Then her worst fears were confirmed. "Vaughn!" she cried out, feeling around frantically for a pulse. She felt nothing at his neck, and her hands flew down to his wrist. It was still.  
  
She wanted to pray for his safety. She wanted to wish for it. She wanted hope for it, but her heart was empty. No matter how badly she wanted to, she couldn't deny it to herself that he was gone. She had nothing left to hope for.  
  
The flames had now risen and Sydney practically choking on the smoke-filled air. With a long last glance at the man she loved, she crawled to the door and out of the room.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sydney had stumbled out of the building, gasping for breath, but now she had broken into a full-fledged run. She didn't know where she was running to, but she refused to let herself stop. She wasn't sure how long she had been running for, but her legs were aching by now. She couldn't remember seeing anything as she sprinted in the night - she felt like she was deaf and blind, trapped in herself and her twisted life.  
  
She didn't know what she tripped over, but all of a sudden she felt herself falling forwards. Sydney landed with an "Oomph" on the soft brown earth, a sharp pain in her chest.  
  
She lay there for God knows how long, unable to motivate herself to sit up, despite not being able to have stopped moving just moments earlier. Finally, she pushed herself up using her forearms, groaning in pain as she did so. She realized now that not only did her chest ache, but her entire body was sore.  
  
Looking at her surroundings for the first time since she had escaped the burning building, Sydney realized she was in a forest. She had to squint due to the darkness (the moon was her only source of light), but there wasn't much to see. Tall, ancient trees surrounded the small patch of earth she sat on, the moonlight highlighting them eerily. There wasn't a sound in the forest.  
  
Sydney silently scolded herself for caring more about the trees than for Vaughn. She hadn't even mourned his death yet - hadn't let herself, more like.  
  
It's all my fault, she thought. I'm the one that dragged him into this.  
  
She recalled his words from the limousine.  
  
"There was another part to the prophecy. About the man the woman loved."  
  
Sydney was disgusted with herself. All she had to do was shield herself, hold back her emotions - she was always good at that, she had to, to be a spy - and this entire mess could have been avoided. Now Vaughn was dead because of her. She had let her emotions get in the way, and now Vaughn had been the one to pay for it.  
  
I killed him, Sydney thought to herself. I got him involved, I got him killed.  
  
There had been points in her life where Sydney had hated herself, but never had she loathed herself to this extent. But now, the very thought of her own existence made her sick to her stomach. She felt like flopping back down on the ground and just staying like that, but instead leaned forward as her stomach began to heave.  
  
She was shaking now, and she lay down on her back, staring into the midst of branches and leaves. Breathing was a continuous struggle, each breath a triumph. Sydney could feel herself burning up, and the pain in her chest worsened.  
  
Four of the people she had loved most in the world were dead because of her - Danny, Francie, and now Vaughn and her father. Her mother had abandoned her three times, despite claiming to love Sydney. She came to a realization that there was only one way to stop the people she loved from dying.  
  
Her eyes scanned the ground for anything sharp that could help her achieve it. Broken glass, a piece of metal, anything. She was surprised when she saw something glittering in the darkness.  
  
A small razorblade lay just feet from Sydney. With her hand shaking, she reached out and picked it up, feeling the sharp edge. In a way she couldn't explain, the blade comforted her. Her fingers ran over the cool metal as she thought over what she was doing. It was the only way, she decided.  
  
She lay her left arm down on the ground, and with the blade in her right, she slowly made a cut across it. It was short and shallow, but dark red blood immediately poured out of it, leaving a stain on the ground. The pain in her chest stopped and her hand was still as she focused on the cut. Her breathing returned to normal as she stared at it, the only thing she was aware of. With a steady hand she made another cut just above it with the blade, deeper this time. Blood seeped out, spreading quickly.  
  
Sydney knew that she wanted to end her life as quickly as she could, and she knew how to commit suicide. Soon, the cuts became much deeper and more vicious and her arm became soaked in her own blood. With every cut she made, her heart starting pounding harder and she began to breathe rapidly, caught up in the adrenaline.  
  
Finally, she collapsed.  
  
Okay guys, I know that this chapter was ridiculously depressing and it took a stupid amount of time to get up, but the truth is, I'm lacking inspiration on this story. The next chapter is written, but I'm not sure if it'll be put up. It's mostly filler, and I don't know where to go from there. I have a new Alias fan fic site, which is almost done (the URL is ), so check it out (I promise, all the fics will be up soon) and feel free to submit and fics you would like published on it. So, without further ado, my review responses:  
  
WannabeSyd47: One of my most faithful reviewers - love ya Katie! Yeah, Kendall did kill Syd, which is half the reason I'm so stuck now, LoL. Good luck w/ the bible!  
  
AnnaSun: You're so sweet! Glad it was worth the wait.  
  
Syd: LoL, yes I killed them both! I like the idea of Syd kicking Kendall's ass, hehehe. Oh, and thanks for explaining that line, I was SO lost. You're awesome, I actually look forward to your reviews!!  
  
Megan: Haha, the Vaughnster! Don't worry, I yell at my TV every single day, especially on Sunday nights (wonder why that is?)  
  
Sydney: I rock? Woo-hoo! Thanks, you're awesome!  
  
So maybe I'll continue this, all of your guys' reviews really make me want to continue, but it's a lack of inspiration. I really hope I can continue, for your sake and mine! (PS - WannabeSyd47, Syd, and Sydney - this is so confusing!! LoL!!) 


End file.
